The Protagonist

Pascal Marchand

Montreal-born Pascal Marchand studied literature at the Université de Montréal before deciding to immerse himself in the culture of France. After working a harvest in Burgundy in 1983, he fell in love with the region and returned the following year and became the first non-French citizen to enrol at the viticulture and oenology institute in Beaune. Before finishing his studies, he was hired to be the winemaker at Clos des Épeneaux by Comte Armand in 1985. Within a few years, he revived the moribund estate to the point where it became regarded as the best in the region of Pommard. In 1999, Burgundy’s largest producer Jean-Claude Boisset hired him to similarly revive their reputation and he guided Domaine de la Vougeraie to become a top name in Burgundy. By 2006, he formed his own eponymous winery before partnering with Niagara’s Moray Tawse in 2010 to create Maison Marchand-Tawse.

the director

David Eng

David Eng is a filmmaker, actor, musician and writer originally hailing from Toronto, but now based in Montreal. In 2013, he directed the acclaimed web documentary Burgundy Jazz (Radio-Canada/CBC Music), winner of a Digi Award, a Prix Boomerang, a Prix Numix, and nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards, the Prix Gémeaux, the Webby Awards, and the Rockie Awards at the Banff World Media Festival. Besides Burgundy Jazz, he has directed over a dozen short films, including Perfect Pitch, The Audience (Golden Remi Award, WorldFest-Houston), and Notes from the Kuerti Keyboard (2010), which features legendary Canadian pianist Anton Kuerti. In addition to his film projects, Eng is an avid amateur wine aficionado.

THE OTHER INTERVIEWEES

Amandine Terrier-Marchand

Manager at Marchand-Tawse and Pascal's wife, Amandine is a foil to Pascal in many ways – very grounded and organized, which frees him to be creative and exploratory. However, she is also a winemaker, skilled taster, and “jill-of-all-trades” who regularly steps in at any stage when necessary.

Moray Tawse

A financier from Toronto with a lifelong passion for wine (he was a sommelier in his youth), Moray is Pascal’s close friend and business partner in Burgundy. In Niagara, Ontario, he founded Tawse Winery in 2001 and Redstone Winery in 2009, both considered among the very top wineries in Canada.

Thomas Dinel

Hailing from Alsace, Thomas is a whip-smart, energetic young winemaker who previously worked at Domaine Dujac, at wineries in California and Australia, and at Tawse Winery in Niagara. He now runs the day-to-day operations at the Nuits-Saint-Georges facility.

Mark Fincham

The outdoorsy British adventurer Mark Fincham was a bicycle tour guide and guidebook writer before becoming a winemaker at Domaine du Pégaü in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and now the Beaune facility of Marchand-Tawse.

Eddie Simard

Extremely knowledgeable and passionate about biodynamic farming, the charming and elegant Eddie Simard was the Chef de culture at Marchand-Tawse, in charge of the viticulture and outdoor vineyard workers, up until last year.

Lorenzo Scaglione

After becoming disillusioned with his job in Italy that primarily consisted of outsourcing to Asia, he sought work rooted in the land and serendipitously met Pascal Marchand one night in Dijon. Pascal was immediately impressed by Lorenzo’s sensitivity, culture and business acumen, and now Lorenzo is a key member of Pascal’s team as Export Manager.

Patricia Siblas

Patricia’s family has owned vineyard parcels going back many generations. While she makes some wine herself, she mostly sells her grapes or juice to negociants like Pascal. She is also employed by Marchand-Tawse as a vineyard worker.

Dominique Lafon

After studying viticulture and working several years with wine exporter Becky Wasserman, Dominique Lafon took over the reins at Domaine des Comtes Lafon in the mid-1980s. He is now considered by Clive Coates and others to be the world’s best producer of white wine. He was among the group of young winemakers Pascal befriended in the 80s, a group that lead the way for organic and biodynamic viticulture in Burgundy.

Patrice Rion

Patrice Rion was the highly-regarded winemaker for his father’s Domaine Daniel Rion & Fils during the 1980s-90s. He left to form Domaine Michèle et Patrice Rion with his wife in 2001, with wines mainly from Nuits-Saint-Georges and Chambolle-Musigny. He is also another member of the young winemakers Pascal befriended in the 80s, a group that lead the way for organic and biodynamic viticulture in Burgundy.

Emmanuel Giboulot

With a father who was an early adopter of organic farming, Emmanuel Giboulot focused solely on wine using organic and later biodynamic principles. In 2014, he was convicted and fined for refusing an order to spray pesticides. However, he appealed and emerged victorious. He was among the young winemakers Pascal befriended in the 80s, a group that lead the way for organic and biodynamic viticulture in Burgundy.

Pierre Vincent

After Pascal left his position as the founding winemaker of Domaine de la Vougeraie, Pierre Vincent took over the winemaking duties in 2006. Earlier this year (2017), it was announced that he was leaving to take over as winemaker for Domaine Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet.